BETTING ON SPORTS EXPLAINED

There are quite a few ways to place a wager on a sporting event. From the straight bet where you take a side with points or odds (expressed in + or - numbers), to parlays and teasers, we've got you covered. We'll explain most of the common types of sports wagers here.

STRAIGHT BET POINT SPREAD

A straight bet with a point spread is one where the sportsbook or your bookie releases a point spread on a game or match like this:

Florida Gators -13.5 Florida State Seminoles (-110)
Florida State Seminoles +13.5 Florida Gators (-110)

This means that Florida is favored by 13.5 points. If they win by 14 or more, they have "covered" the spread. You can take Florida, and give 13.5 points, or take FSU, and receive 13.5 points. The number in parenthesis is the "juice." This means that you are risking $110 to win $100. The house gets their juice on almost any type of bet.

We would release a Pick on a game like this:

500 Units Straight
Florida Gators -13.5 over Florida State Seminoles 

We are picking the Gators to cover the spread, and beat FSU by at least 14, and we are putting more confidence on this Pick than our standard 300 Unit Pick.

STRAIGHT BET MONEY LINE

A straight bet on the money line is one where the sportsbook or your bookie releases odds on a game or match like this:

Florida Gators -1200 Florida State Seminoles
Florida State Seminoles +800 Florida Gators

This means that Florida is favored by 12:1 odds if you pick them straight up to win with no point spread. If they win the game by any amount, you have won the wager. You can take Florida, and you have to wager $1200 to win $100.

We would release a Pick on a game like this:

900 Units Straight Money Line (or ML)
Florida Gators -1200 over Florida State Seminoles 

We are picking the Gators to win outright, beat FSU by any amount, and we are putting a lot more confidence on this Pick than our standard 300 Unit Pick.

TEASERS & PARLAYS

We don't offer a lot of these, because they are not usually smart bets. The exception is an MLB parlay, where we take 2 teams (typically favorites) in a money line parlay to try and get the payout a bit closer to 1:1.

Parlays are usually 2, 3 or 4 side and/or over-under bets. You have to hit every part of the parlay to win, and the sports book gives you better odds due to the higher risk of having to hit multiple parts of a bet. For example, let's say Tyler Glasnow is on the bump for the Tampa Bay Rays against the Baltimore Orioles, and Clayton Kershaw is going for the L.A. Dodgers against the Cincinnati Reds. To take the Rays or Dodgers in a straight money line bet, you might have to risk $1100-1200 to win $100. But, if you took both teams in a parlay, the odds might be a bit closer to a $500 risk. Yes, both teams have to win, but great pitchers typically rule the day in baseball.

Teasers are where you get additional points added to your team's score, but you have to pick 2 or more sides and/or over-unders. A standard teaser is a 6-point teaser in football. You pick 2 teams in 2 separate games, and you get 6 additional points added to each of your team's scores. If one of your teams is +3, they are now +9. Or if they are -7, they are now -1. Or, if you choose an over-under, you get 6 points in your favor.

Are you with us so far?